Device for mounting of covered buckles



July 8, 1958 K. SPENDEL 2,341,859

DEVICE FOR MOUNTING OF COVERED BUCKLES Filed Jan. 12, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 1 2o 7 a 3 x 7 4% 2 -1# 12% 13 16 15 -10 [II II 15. 15

INVENTOR.

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July 8, 1958 K. SPENDEL 2,841,859

DEVICE FOR MOUNTING OF COVERED BUCKLE-S Filed Jan. 12, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fj fi 12 2a 29 2e 25 Fig. 7

INVENTOR.

BYW tr/W July 8, 1958 K. SPENDEL DEVICE FOR MOUNTING OF COVERED BUCKLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 12, 1955 INVENTOR.

United States Patent DEVICE FOR MOUNTING OF COVERED BUCKLES Kurt Spendel, Recklinghausen, Germany,

Firma Gtto Berning & Co., Schwelm, many, a corporation of Germany assignor to Westphalia, Ger- The present invention relates to a device for mounting of covered buckles comprising an upper and lower tool, the buckles particularly to be applied for belts for clothes.

Belt-buckles are known which consist of two parts stamped out of sheet iron and comprise two frame pieces, namely an upper piece and a lower piece which by their bent edges fit into each other.

The upper piece of the buckle is in this case usually covered without the use of any glue material with the same material which is used for the clothes and the covering of the frame pieces may be achieved irrespectively to the qualities of the covering material merely by clamping the edges of the patch used for the covering between the edges of the upper piece and the lower piece.

In order thus to prevent the loosening from each other of the respective buckle pieces, the upper piece is bent over at its outer periphery, gripping below the lower piece of the buckle.

Mounting devices of different structures are known for such buckles being covered with material. These known devices comprise, as a rule, an upper tool and a lower tool, in which is mounted a half part of the buckle. During pressing together of the two tools a gripping of the overlapping outer edges of the buckle takes place, while the inner edges of the buckle remain ungripped. This arrangement brings about the drawback, that the buckle opens up and the covering material is loosened.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a device for mounting covered buckles for clothes and the like which device comprises substantially an upper too] and a lower tool and by forming a single unit and by operating mechanically covers the upper piece of the buckle with material and joins together rigidly the outer edges as wellas the inner edges of the upper piece with those of the lower piece.

it is another object of the present invention to provide a device for mounting covered buckles for clothes or the like which permits ofeasy manufacture of a buckle comprising a covered upper piece and a non-covered lower piece of sheet metal and made to a frame, the frame leg members of the buckle being of U-shaped profile by means of beveled edge formations, so that in addition to a folding over of the outer edges of the cover ing material, the inner edges of said covering material are likewise bent over and the inner edges of the upper piece as well as of the lower piece are joined together, so that an opening of the buckle anda loosening of the covering material during its use may be avoided also at the inner edges of the buckle.

In order to bring about this end the core piece of the lower tool of a mounting device is provided at its free end with guide faces sliding into the pressure frame of the upper tool, the latter receiving the covered buckle piece, which guide face is led tangentially into inclined top faces.

By this arrangement a centered insertion of the core piece; which carries the inclined top face into the pres sure frame is made possible, whereby a cleanly fitting 'ice joinder of the outer and also of the inner edges of the upper piece wtih the lower piece and, thereby, a very rigid connection between the upper and lower pieces is achieved.

If now, in accordance with the present invention, the core piece retained immovably in the frame of the lower tool projects with its front face relative to the upper face of the frame, a centering of the tools and. of the buckle. pieces disposed therein is already achieved prior to. the joinder of said pieces, so that a precise connection. is accomplished. In addition, the core piece of the upper tool which projects and which upper tool cooperates with said lower tool is equipped. with pins which project through the bottom portion of theupper tool, saidpins having a length which corresponds to the stroke ofthe axially moving core piece upon coupling of the tools..

With these and other objects in view which will be.- come apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a plan view of the patch of material for covering the buckle;

Fig. 1a is a plan view of the upper piece of the buckle;

Fig. lb is a plan view of the lower piece of thebuckle;

Fig. 2 is an axial section of the upper tool in reversed position combined with the auxiliary matrix in axial section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section of the upper tool in reversed position at the start of engagement with the auxiliary matrix in section;

Fig. 4 is an axial section of the upper tool and of the lower tool in inoperative position;

Fig. 5 is an axial section of the upper tool and of the lower toolin operative position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary axial section of the upper-tool andof'the lower tool in operative position at an. advanced stage demonstrating the connection of the upper piece with the lower piece of the buckle;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section of the elements shown in Fig. 6 at enlarged scale;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section of the elements shown in Fig. 6 at enlarged scale in the final position of the buckle pieces;

Fig. 9 is a schematic top plan view of two screwpresses designed. for the present device;

Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the screw press for the auxiliary matrix; and

Fig. 11 is an end elevation of the screw press for the upper and lower tool of the device.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to Fig. 1, 1a and lb, the buckle comprises an upper piece 1 and a lower piece 2, which are formed of frame-like sheet metal pieces, the outer and inner edges 3, 4 and 5, 6, respectively, are bent over to a U-profile incrosssection, the legs of which are of predetermined length.

The patch of material 7 (Fig. 1) required for covering of the upper piece 1 is cut in such manner that upon setting the patch on the upper piece 1 there remains-a substantially equal overlap over the inner and outer edge of the upper piece .1. In order to bring about this result the patch has preferably at its center a longitudinal slot 8 from the ends of which symmetrically disposed cuts 9 which diverge towards the slot 8 are provided. The relative starting position between the patch 7 and the upper piece 1 is shown in Fig. 1, in which the upper piece 1 is indicated in point-dotted lines.

The upper tool, shown in Fig. 2 in reversed position and used in the first step as lower tool comprises a main frame 10 and a pressure frame 11 and a core-piece 12 is axially movable within the main frame 10. The end face 13 of the main frame 10 is limited by a flange-like projection 14 along the entire margin of the main frame 10, so that the patch 7 of material may be fittingly disposed on the end face 13 of the main frame 10.

The core-piece 12 is equipped with supporting pins 15 which extend through the main frame 10, which pins 15 are adapted for lifting the end face 16 of the corepiece 12 over the end face 13 of the main frame for an amount which is substantially equal to the thickness X of the buckle.

An auxiliary matrix is provided for insertion of the upper piece of the buckle into the upper tool. The auxiliary matrix comprises a punch 17 which is supported by the frame body 19 by means of the springs 18, which frame body 19 engages the end face 13 of the upper tool. The punch 17 has ledge portions 20 projecting towards the upper tool.

If the upper piece 1 of the buckle is disposed together with the patch 7 of material on the end face 13 of the reversed upper tool and the auxiliary matrix, as shown in Fig. 2, is then operated, the ledge portions 20 of the punch 17 push the upper piece 1 of the buckle into the upper tool. During this step the patch 7 of material is at first drawn over the edge Y, thereby clamping the material by means of the inner edge 4 of the upper piece 1. Upon further movement of the punch 17 the inner portions of the material slide over edge Y, whereupon the outer portions of the material follow which are drawn over the edge portions of the end face 13 opposite the edge portions Y and are finally drawn into the cavity of the reversed upper tool (Fig. 3).

After the mentioned preliminary step the upper tool is reversed and brought into the position shown in Fig. 4 for cooperation with the lower tool, whereby the flangelike projections 14 of the upper tool function as centering means for the lower tool. The lower tool comprises an outer frame 21, which is supported by means of springs 23 on a base plate 22. A frame-like countersupport 24, which surrounds a core-piece 25 rigidly secured to the outer frame and projecting over the end face ofthe outer frame 21, is disposed in a cavity of the latter, which cavity is of a shape complementary to that of the lower piece 2 of the buckle. The counter-support 24 is secured to the base plate 22 and the core-piece 25 is arranged in such manner that it moves simultaneously with the outer frame 21.

If the tool is operated and the pressure frame 11 of the upper tool is moved downwardly by means of a conventional pressure organ, the upright edges of the cover patch 7 are turned over by means of the inclined faces 26 and 27 of the lower tool, as shown in Fig. 5. Upon exerting'further pressure on the upper tool, the outer frame 21 is lowered at the same time compressing the springs 23 and the lower piece 2 of the buckle is forced into the upper piece 1 of the buckle (Figs. 6 and 7),

whereby the core-piece 25 of the lower tool penetrates the main frame 10 of the upper too].

Now a final pressure movement of the upper tool brings about the complete connection between the respective upper and lower pieces 1 and 2 of the buckle, as indicated in Fig. 8.

In order to fit the inclined faces 26 and 27 of the lower tool to the pressure frame 11 of the upper tool, the core-piece 25 is arranged in such manner that its end face is lifted over that of the outer frame 21 and that its free end has guide faces 28 which project adjustingly into the pressure frame 11.

The core-piece 12 of the upper tool is either not supported by springs or if supporting springs (not shown) are provided, they are weaker than those supporting the core-piece 25 which is at least indirectly supported by the springs 23.

Since the upper tool must be reversed for the pre liminary step of inserting the upper piece 1 of the buckle in which cooperation with the auxiliary matrix is required, preferably two screw presses are provided, as shown in Figs. 9 and 11, which presses are mounted on a common base 32 and the press 30 has the auxiliary matrix 19 secured thereto.

The screw press 31 has the lower tool secured thereto and both presses are equipped to receive releasably the upper tool 10.

By providing a recess 29 in the core-piece 25 of the lower tool a cross-member carrying a tongue may be inserted during the joining of the upper piece 1 with the lower piece 2 of the buckle.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. in a device for mounting covered buckles having an upper piece covered with material and a lower uncovered piece, an upper tool comprising a main frame having an end face, a first core-piece axially movable in the said main frame, and a first pressure frame disposed between the said main frame and said first core-piece, and a lower tool comprising an outer frame having an end face disposed opposite that of the said main frame, a second core-piece disposed in said outer frame and a counter support disposed between the said outer frame and the said second core-piece, and the said outer frame having outwardly inclined top faces extending from its inner faces, the said inclined faces being adapted to fold over the outer edge portions of said material and to bend over the outer edge portions of said upper piece covered with said material, and the said second core-piece having inwardly inclined top faces, and extending toward said first pressure frame, said last mentioned inclined top faces being tangent to the side faces of said first core-piece.

2. The device, as set forth in claim 1, in which the said second core-piece is immovably disposed in the said outer frame, the end face of the said second core-piece opposite the end face of the said first core-piece projects over the end face of the said outer frame, the end face of the said. first core-piece opposite the said second corepiece projects over the end face of the said main frame in its inoperative position, and the said first core-piece has pins projecting from its rear face, the said pins having a length equivalent with the length of the withdrawal stroke of the said first core-piece.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,431,260 Rosen Oct. 10, 1922 1,957,842 McDonough May 8, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,032,928 France Apr. 1, 1953 1,043,204 France June 10, 1953 

